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Moorhead Daily News
18 July 1932
By Robert Edgren
Mickey Walker, the Rumson Bulldog, comes to grips with Jack Sharkey Wednesday night in New York. This ought to be a fight. Walker always fights. Sharkey fights when he isn't suffering from an inferiority complex, and isn't bothered that way against smaller men. He knocked out light-heavyweight champions Delaney and Loughran quickly, suddenly and with no especially noticeable effort.
Mickey is only a middleweight champion who has resigned the title, temporarily at least, to get a chance to light Sharkey in New York. Sharkey has recovered his speech after a year of near silence and is telling the world that he won't try to knock Mickey out in the first round but will keep him going a while to get a little needed training in the ring.
The Shark says boxing 10 rounds with Mickey will be cheaper than hiring a good sparring partner. He says he'll just pop Mickey back on his heels and put over the kayo when he's ready. This sounds like the old Shark.
Mickey a Body Puncher
Bluster aside, Sharkey must know that he has a fight on his hands with Mickey. Mickey is short, but he isn't small. He has the powerful legs, arms and shoulders of a heavyweight. He is the Joe Walcott of today. Being short, he'll be hard for Sharkey to hit. The Shark always had trouble hitting dumpy fighters, like Risko and Heeney. Walker is better than either of these.
Joe Walcott, only an inch over five feet tall, knocked out Joe Choynski, a doggoned good heavyweight. Walker has as good a punch as Joe ever had. He is a grand finisher when he gets his man going, and he is a great body puncher. That last item is worth thinking over, Shark.
Mickey is a lot better fighter than the Sharkey man, and he has a better record. This doesn't mean that he can whip Sharkey. There's a difference of fully 30 pounds in the weights, in Sharkey's favor. That gives Sharkey a break that may be hard to overcome. Sharkey ought to win this fight and if he doesn't he might as well retire and go on with the business of part managing Ernie Schaaf, who looks like a better fighter than Sharkey ever has been.
Walker Clean Fighter
Walker is one of the cleanest fighters I ever saw in a ring. He never hits low, roughs or wrestles, or fouls in any way. He's a natural sport and he loves fighting. I saw him against Ace Hudkins in Chicago. Ace heeled, elbowed, hit low several times, and butted continually through 10 rounds, and Mickey never retaliated with rough stuff even once. He fought whenever he could drag his arms free from Hudkins' clutches, grinned as he enjoyed it and never mentioned the low punches to the referee. It was the best exhibition of self control I remember seeing in the ring.
I saw Mickey butted by Joe Dundee until his eyes were so cut he could no longer see, and even then he didn't protest. No. even when fight was stopped and given to Dundee on a T. K. O.
If anyone does any appealing in Wednesday night's imbroglio it will the Shark. He has the habit. It was so certain that Sharkey would appeal to the referee the night he fought Dempsey that the following conversation took place between Flynn and Dempsey in the training camp at Saratoga Lake, while I listened with much enjoyment over getting an earful of inside stuff.
Planned in .Advance
Leo Flynn acting as Demp's manager: “Now Jack, that big bum never had a fight in his life where he didn’t claim a foul and turn his head to appeal to the referee. He even did it when he knocked our Maloney one of the softest touches he ever had. If you keep hitting him in the belly he’ll appeal sure. He'll stop and try to tell the referee he's been fouled. The minute he turns his head, sock him with everything you've got. Just jab him in the belly a few times and hold the big punch back. Keep on pecking at his belly no matter what happens. He'll turn to look at the referee—and you know what to do."
Dempsey (chuckling): "I'll know what to do. If that bird takes his eye off me he'll never know what hit him."
That thing came out exactly as planned. Sharkey half murdered Dempsey in the first two or three rounds, but Jack's grim courage walking into punches and pounding at Sharkey's body finally made Shark back up. As Sharkey retreated Dempsey followed, crouched over and pecking at Sharkey's waist line with short rights. The referee was on Sharkey's left side. Finally Dempsey socked in a hard hook in the pit of the stomach. Instinctively Sharkey turned his eyes toward the referee, and bam! Over come Dempsey's left hook and the fight was finished. Just exactly as programmed that night at Saratoga Lake.
Sharkey learned something in the Dempsey fight. He takes his chin out of range before he looks toward the referee.
Sharkey Dangerous
Sharkey is a confident, ****y fighter before every fight and at the beginning of every fight. If he makes a good start he bears down hard. If he doesn't make a good start he isn't so wild and wooly. If he makes a good start with Walker, and he ought to considering the difference in weight. He’ll fight with a contemptuous sense of superiority - and when he's in that frame of mind he's a mighty dangerous heavyweight. Sharkey uses a looping overhand punch on shorter men. He may be able to drive Mickey into the ground with it.
Walker s chance lies in the fact that he is tough as a hickory knot in, spite of some years of reckless living, and he can take a lot of punches without in the least losing heart or losing his own ability to sock over a knockout. He is a great boxer and a born fighter always rushing and tearing in to fight. It’s impossible to hold him off without knocking him out — and
they never have had any luck trying to put Mickey down for a 10 count.
Mickey is short and stocky. Tall men often have trouble in putting up their fight against these compact fellows. Jim Jeffries told me a month ago that Tom Sharkey – much like Walker in build – was the hardest man to fight he ever fought. “He was so short he came in under my punches” said Jim. “and he was always tearing in fast with both hands going all the
time. He was so tough it was almost impossible to hurt him. When I broke three of his ribs at Coney Island he didn't slow up. He didn't know he was hurt until after the fight."
Mickey Walker is of a very similar type — but more skillful and resourceful. He also has Jack Kearns in his comer. That's a hard combination. Sharkey should win the fight. He has everything to win it with. But will he win. I feel like George Low when George was talking over a golf match: "T'is the surest thing in the world, but I hae me doots." Mickey has a wonderful pair of
legs.
18 July 1932
By Robert Edgren
Mickey Walker, the Rumson Bulldog, comes to grips with Jack Sharkey Wednesday night in New York. This ought to be a fight. Walker always fights. Sharkey fights when he isn't suffering from an inferiority complex, and isn't bothered that way against smaller men. He knocked out light-heavyweight champions Delaney and Loughran quickly, suddenly and with no especially noticeable effort.
Mickey is only a middleweight champion who has resigned the title, temporarily at least, to get a chance to light Sharkey in New York. Sharkey has recovered his speech after a year of near silence and is telling the world that he won't try to knock Mickey out in the first round but will keep him going a while to get a little needed training in the ring.
The Shark says boxing 10 rounds with Mickey will be cheaper than hiring a good sparring partner. He says he'll just pop Mickey back on his heels and put over the kayo when he's ready. This sounds like the old Shark.
Mickey a Body Puncher
Bluster aside, Sharkey must know that he has a fight on his hands with Mickey. Mickey is short, but he isn't small. He has the powerful legs, arms and shoulders of a heavyweight. He is the Joe Walcott of today. Being short, he'll be hard for Sharkey to hit. The Shark always had trouble hitting dumpy fighters, like Risko and Heeney. Walker is better than either of these.
Joe Walcott, only an inch over five feet tall, knocked out Joe Choynski, a doggoned good heavyweight. Walker has as good a punch as Joe ever had. He is a grand finisher when he gets his man going, and he is a great body puncher. That last item is worth thinking over, Shark.
Mickey is a lot better fighter than the Sharkey man, and he has a better record. This doesn't mean that he can whip Sharkey. There's a difference of fully 30 pounds in the weights, in Sharkey's favor. That gives Sharkey a break that may be hard to overcome. Sharkey ought to win this fight and if he doesn't he might as well retire and go on with the business of part managing Ernie Schaaf, who looks like a better fighter than Sharkey ever has been.
Walker Clean Fighter
Walker is one of the cleanest fighters I ever saw in a ring. He never hits low, roughs or wrestles, or fouls in any way. He's a natural sport and he loves fighting. I saw him against Ace Hudkins in Chicago. Ace heeled, elbowed, hit low several times, and butted continually through 10 rounds, and Mickey never retaliated with rough stuff even once. He fought whenever he could drag his arms free from Hudkins' clutches, grinned as he enjoyed it and never mentioned the low punches to the referee. It was the best exhibition of self control I remember seeing in the ring.
I saw Mickey butted by Joe Dundee until his eyes were so cut he could no longer see, and even then he didn't protest. No. even when fight was stopped and given to Dundee on a T. K. O.
If anyone does any appealing in Wednesday night's imbroglio it will the Shark. He has the habit. It was so certain that Sharkey would appeal to the referee the night he fought Dempsey that the following conversation took place between Flynn and Dempsey in the training camp at Saratoga Lake, while I listened with much enjoyment over getting an earful of inside stuff.
Planned in .Advance
Leo Flynn acting as Demp's manager: “Now Jack, that big bum never had a fight in his life where he didn’t claim a foul and turn his head to appeal to the referee. He even did it when he knocked our Maloney one of the softest touches he ever had. If you keep hitting him in the belly he’ll appeal sure. He'll stop and try to tell the referee he's been fouled. The minute he turns his head, sock him with everything you've got. Just jab him in the belly a few times and hold the big punch back. Keep on pecking at his belly no matter what happens. He'll turn to look at the referee—and you know what to do."
Dempsey (chuckling): "I'll know what to do. If that bird takes his eye off me he'll never know what hit him."
That thing came out exactly as planned. Sharkey half murdered Dempsey in the first two or three rounds, but Jack's grim courage walking into punches and pounding at Sharkey's body finally made Shark back up. As Sharkey retreated Dempsey followed, crouched over and pecking at Sharkey's waist line with short rights. The referee was on Sharkey's left side. Finally Dempsey socked in a hard hook in the pit of the stomach. Instinctively Sharkey turned his eyes toward the referee, and bam! Over come Dempsey's left hook and the fight was finished. Just exactly as programmed that night at Saratoga Lake.
Sharkey learned something in the Dempsey fight. He takes his chin out of range before he looks toward the referee.
Sharkey Dangerous
Sharkey is a confident, ****y fighter before every fight and at the beginning of every fight. If he makes a good start he bears down hard. If he doesn't make a good start he isn't so wild and wooly. If he makes a good start with Walker, and he ought to considering the difference in weight. He’ll fight with a contemptuous sense of superiority - and when he's in that frame of mind he's a mighty dangerous heavyweight. Sharkey uses a looping overhand punch on shorter men. He may be able to drive Mickey into the ground with it.
Walker s chance lies in the fact that he is tough as a hickory knot in, spite of some years of reckless living, and he can take a lot of punches without in the least losing heart or losing his own ability to sock over a knockout. He is a great boxer and a born fighter always rushing and tearing in to fight. It’s impossible to hold him off without knocking him out — and
they never have had any luck trying to put Mickey down for a 10 count.
Mickey is short and stocky. Tall men often have trouble in putting up their fight against these compact fellows. Jim Jeffries told me a month ago that Tom Sharkey – much like Walker in build – was the hardest man to fight he ever fought. “He was so short he came in under my punches” said Jim. “and he was always tearing in fast with both hands going all the
time. He was so tough it was almost impossible to hurt him. When I broke three of his ribs at Coney Island he didn't slow up. He didn't know he was hurt until after the fight."
Mickey Walker is of a very similar type — but more skillful and resourceful. He also has Jack Kearns in his comer. That's a hard combination. Sharkey should win the fight. He has everything to win it with. But will he win. I feel like George Low when George was talking over a golf match: "T'is the surest thing in the world, but I hae me doots." Mickey has a wonderful pair of
legs.